Daily Reading 22. Swamiji on finding fault with others.
Taken from Mother Radha’s notes, written at Swamiji’s feet.
Swamiji: I am not saying you will suddenly not find fault in other people. But ignore the fault. Look at the person’s good – at their virtuous acts. One time I told Gurudev [Swamiji’s beloved Guru, Swami Nischalananda Puri and our ‘Gurudev’], ‘You know Swamiji, Peter [a resident ashramite] is always grumbling at us, grumbling at us, grumbling at us.’ He put his head down and said, ‘What happened?’ I repeated it. Gurudev said, ‘I do not see you doing anything better, you are doing the same thing.’ Well, that opened my eyes.
If you can carry the cross of insult, if you can carry the cross of hatred and jealousy, if you can carry the cross of injury, then you are making yourself fit at least to have the darshan of the Lord. The advice of Sri Ramakrishna is: Do not find fault with others. Rather look on your own faults and root them out.
Give everybody comfort, love and a smiling face. Anybody that comes to the ashram, make them feel at home. After that, if you do not feel at home there is something wrong with you. You must not think there is something wrong with others.
My guru tested me in many, many ways. Remember that the idea is to improve ourselves.
Above all, become the servants of Sri Ramakrishna. And serve him. Serve him in the images of others. Always talk inspiring words, uplifting words, peaceful words. Whatever you see or do must first be symbolic of the Divine Being. Then all in the world are parts of the Divine Being, all are the Divine Being Itself.
In the beginning there was One. Where did He get the material from? Out of Himself. Wherever the mind goes, Brahman [the Absolute] is already there.
Underlined words are links to clarification, explanation or other sources. Just tap on them.
The free-to-read or download, 396-page Flipbook version of Swamiji’s biography, ‘A Life Lived For Others‘, is available by clicking HERE. If you’d prefer the PDF version, please click HERE.
For our gurubhai Atmaprakash Kramer’s beautiful pictorial ‘memoir’ booklet of the Ramakrishna Centre of South Africa, Avoca Ashram, please click HERE.
There’s also a Facebook site for Swamiji’s posts now. They feature newer readings published more recently. Click HERE to view.
These recordings or the excerpts from them, were made from the early 1970s onward, by Mother Radha, a close devotee of Swamiji’s and edited for uploading here by our gurubhai and her son, Brother Tim. Please be mindful that what Swamiji was saying may have been specific to those with him at the time.